Technology customers increasingly expect partners to support complex, multi-vendor environments, but a new Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) report finds a substantial gap between those expectations and current channel capabilities.
According to the GTDC research, conducted with Channelnomics, 76% of customers consider multi-vendor systems support critical, while only 22% believe their IT partners can provide it. The study also found that 70% of customers value AI integration, but just 38% believe partners have the expertise needed to deliver it.
GTDC argues that distributors are evolving beyond product fulfillment to provide technical resources, financing, marketplace operations, compliance support and multi-vendor orchestration.
Customer expectations expose channel capability gaps
The report, developed with Channelnomics, examines how distribution is helping businesses address challenges created by fast-moving technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and hybrid cloud.
According to the research, organizations increasingly want integrated solutions rather than standalone products. However, vendors and partners often struggle to deliver these outcomes alone because modern deployments require multi-vendor coordination, cross-platform integration, technical expertise and ongoing support.
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GTDC said distributors are filling that gap by providing services such as partner enablement, technical resources, financing, marketplace operations, compliance support and lifecycle management.
AI and cybersecurity demands expose channel gaps
The report highlights a growing mismatch between customer expectations and the capabilities available from technology providers.
While 76% of customers consider multi-vendor systems support a critical requirement, only 22% believe IT partners currently have that capability.
Similarly, 70% of customers value AI integration, but just 38% believe partners have enough expertise to support it.
“Customers are no longer buying isolated products or stand-alone services; they expect integrated outcomes delivered across increasingly complex ecosystems,” said Larry Walsh, CEO and chief analyst at Channelnomics.
“That creates a gap between what clients need and what vendors or partners can consistently deliver on their own. Distribution overcomes those obstacles by aggregating the resources, capabilities, and operational infrastructure required to execute at scale.”
Distributors strengthen partner and vendor execution
The research suggests companies using distribution strategically can improve performance across several go-to-market functions, with execution capability reaching more than 80% across key areas.
The report also points to financial benefits, including cost savings ranging from 15% to 52% and returns on investment between 4x and 8.5x.
For vendors, the biggest priorities include proving return on investment and value visibility, which ranked at 88%, followed by strategic go-to-market alignment at 85% and partner recruitment and enablement at 83%.
For solution providers, ecosystem access, multi-vendor integration and solution bundling were the top priorities at 91%, while AI-driven technical support followed at 89%.
GTDC recommends deeper go-to-market alignment
GTDC CEO Frank Vitagliano said growing technology complexity is increasing the importance of distribution across the IT ecosystem.
“Technology innovation is creating tremendous opportunities, but it is also making go-to-market execution more complex,” said Frank Vitagliano, CEO of GTDC.
“Distributors have continued to invest in the platforms, programs, services and expertise needed to help vendors and partners bring AI, cloud, cybersecurity and other advanced solutions to market more efficiently. This research reinforces what we see every day across the IT ecosystem: distribution is becoming more valuable because it helps turn innovation into scalable execution.”
The report provides recommendations for vendors looking to improve ecosystem execution. GTDC and Channelnomics suggest companies align distributors more closely with their go-to-market strategies, develop ecosystem-based sales models, improve AI readiness, and expand marketplace and lifecycle capabilities.
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